Despite several unions endorsing Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for president, the rank-and-file struggle to name a single one of her accomplishments.
A lot of people can name titles she’s held: first lady, senator, Secretary of State, but what did she do?
During a recent Labor Day union event, I asked several attendees if they could name Hillary’s greatest accomplishment. Or maybe not even her greatest one — but just something. Anything.
“I can’t think off the top of my head,” one woman said. She’s the same lady who had never heard of Bernie Sanders, but she’s down with Hillary!
Another woman said, “She’s done a lot for women. She’s done a lot for labor and I think she done a good job as Secretary of State.”
“She made some mistakes there but overall she has done a great job,” one woman said.
A man wearing a purple SEIU t-shirt was confused by the question. “Like if she became president?” he asked.
I rephrased it to say “why should she be president?” He responded, “I think because back when Bill was in office — it has a lot to do with Bill.” Ouch.
One interviewee said she thinks Hillary’s worked for “women’s rights.” Perhaps I didn’t give her enough time to think how women’s lives didn’t change in Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia or several other countries because of Clinton’s “work.”
The woman added she’d like to see a woman president but made it clear it shouldn’t be Hillary. “I think it would be great to have a woman president but not just so we can have a woman president. We need a woman that will be a good president,” she said.
Another thought Hillary’s great accomplishment was that she didn’t get to sleep “four hours a night” for four years.
“She changed the conversation to a certain extent — well to a large extent — to less of an arrogant, aggressive, militaristic stand. ‘We’re going to go invade this country and that country’ — she dialed that back a lot.”
The final woman said, “She had a lot of great accomplishments before her husband ever got into office.”
She then proceeded to say how she’s been to several union conventions over the last 45 years and “she spoke” at some of them. “She’s very knowledgeable. She’s always worked hard for whatever cause she’s for.”
So do hamsters running in metal wheels — it doesn’t mean they’re accomplishing something.
Alas, she rambled for several moments, but I wanted to know what Hillary had accomplished way back before Bill was even in office.
“She always stood behind the working people. No matter what the cause was, she was always there to support it, go out and work for it.”
Got that?
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